AP: Ohio Coroner Investigating Death of Student Freed From North Korea

The coroner's office in Cincinnati is investigating the death of the American college student who died less than week after his return from North Korea, where he was detained near a year and a half.

A spokesman for the Hamilton County coroner says Dr. Lakshmi Sammaraco's office has accepted the case of Otto Warmbier, who died Monday in a Cincinnati hospital. Justin Weber told The Associated Press on Tuesday morning that a press conference is expected later to provide details.

Wambier's parents did not cite a specific cause of death, but cited awful, torturous mistreatment" by North Korea. Doctors had described Warmbier's condition as a state of "unresponsive wakefulness" and said he suffered a "severe neurological injury" of unknown cause.

Doctors had described Warmbier's condition as a state of "unresponsive wakefulness" and said he suffered a "severe neurological injury" of unknown cause. He arrived in Ohio on June 13 after being held for more than 17 months.

The University of Virginia student was accused of trying to steal a propaganda banner while visiting with a tour group.

He was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years in prison with hard labor. His family says it was told he had been in a coma since soon after his sentencing.

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